Air cleaner



Aug. 14, 1923. LL-Q5 2,? J;

A. c. BENNETT AIR CLEANER Filed Sept. 25, 1922 INVENTO/i. ASHLEY C BEN/v5 TT EY W M flay/M ASHLEY C. BENNETT, UF

EE'ENNEAPULIh, HEIJN AIR CLEANER.

Application filed September To all whom it may 0071176771 Be it known that/ll, AsHLnY C. BENNETT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air Cleaners, of which the following is a specification. invention relates to air, cleaners, and particularly t air cleaners for use in connection with carburetors of internal combustion engines. Air cleaners which have been in use for this purpose have customarily operated either on the principle of gravity separation alone or on the filtration principle alone. Although gravity cleaners operate to remove the heavier particles and the greater portion of the dust, they do not remove all traces of thefine dust. lln regard to cleaners of the filtration type, they will remove the last traces of fine dust as well as the heavier particles, but it is found in practice that such cleaners soon clog to such an extent that frequent cleaning 1s required if suficient passage is maintained for the air going to the carburetor. This ren ders cleaners depending upon filtration alone unsatisfactory Where operation for a period of time is desired. An object, therefore, of my invention is to combine in one device both of the types of cleaners just referred to 'so that most of the dirt and dust will be first removed by gravity separation, and the remaining fine dustlwill then be taken out by filtration. Since only a small portion of the dust remains to be taken out by the filtering portion of the device, the cleaner may be operated for an extended period of time before cleaning thereof is necessary.

The full objects and advantages ot my invention will appear in connection with the detailed description, and the novel features embodied in my inventive idea will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate rnyinvention in two of the forms in which it may be enibodied,--

Fig. l is a top plan view of my cleaner. Fig. 2 is a view in central vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view in horizontal section on the line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. l is an elevational view of amodn fied form or filtering member.

As illustrated in the drawings, my cleaner includes outer 10 and an inner casing 12. The casing 10 concentrically spaced around the lit, and the 25, 199.2. Serial 3 has its upper portion extending above the upper end of the casing 10 and its lower end stopping short of the lower end of the casing 10. The main portion of the casing 10 is preferably cylindrical in form, and it has a lower truncated conical portion 14,-, the smaller end of which is at the bottom and is constructed to receive theupper open end of a dust collector receptacle 16. The space 18 which exists between the two casings l0 and 12 is closed at its top by an annular wall 20. An inlet opening through a pipe section 22 extends tangentially through the cylindrical wall of the casing 10 into the upper portion of the annular space 18." In the embodiment shown, there are two annular partitions 2t and 26 in the space 18 arranged in spaced relation to each other below the inlet opening. The partitions 24 and 26 are both provided'with a plurality of slits 28 each of which is produced by cutting the material on two sides of a triangle and bending the triangular piece of material downwardly upon the third and uncut side of the triangle to form downwardly inclined projections 30 which are inclined in such direction as to maintain and augment the whirling motion given to the incoming air by the tangential inlet. In the lower portion of the casing 10, and spacedbelow the lower portion of the casing 12, is a conical bafile 32 which is supported by a number or strips 34 interposed between the outer'margins of the bafiie and the conical wall 14. Within the lower portion of the casing 12 is an annular bottom member 36 which has a central opening surrounded by a depending flange 38 which is spaced above the bafiie 82 a suliicient distance to provide for free passage of air to said opening. Extending inwardly from the intermediate portion of the inner casing 12 is an annular flange surface of which is a gasket A wire mesh cage is adapted to be placed in the innor casing and be supported by the flange 40 so that the bottom ofthe cage is spaced above the annular bottom the member of the cage which rests upon the gasket 4-2 consists of a flat ring which is secured to the upper end of a cup member to having a bottom 48. The ring 4A: and the bottom 48 are preferably attached cylindrical portion of the cup member by means or beaded margins. .he cup niem including it contains 40 upon the upper 36. As shown,

tions, the combined area oi which is somewhat greater than the area of. the inlet opening through the pipe 22 and is also somewhat greater than the area of an outlet opening to be referred to later. The upper portion of the wire mesh cage consists of a cylindrical section 50 of wire mesh which at its bottom is secured-to the ring 44 and at its top is secured to a cover 52. This securing operation may be readily accomplished by solderingf The lower portion of the cage consists of a cupshaped wire mesh member 54 which at its top is secured to the ring 44 and it has a bottom 56. The wire mesh members 50 and 54 are positioned in vertical alinement with each other and are spaced inwardly from the casing 12 so as to provide an upper annular chamber 58 and a lower annular chamber 60 which are separated from each other by the flange 40, the

- ring 44 and the interposed gasket 42 when the cage is in place in the cleaner. The wire mesh cage in the form of invention shown in Figs. 2 and 3 is stuffed with a mass of filtering material such as curled hair impregnated with oil. The stufling operation may be conveniently performed as follows,

after the cage has been constructed. The

bottom 56 of the wire mesh is partly cut and pulled back, andthe bottom 48 of the cup member 46 is removed whereupon the portion of the cage within and above the cup member 46 may be readily filled through the opening thus provided. The bottom 48-is then snapped into place, being held on the cup 46 by the beaded margins. The portion of the cage surrounding the cup 46 may then be filled with the filtering material through the opening provided by the bent aWa portion of the bottom 46 of the wire mes this bottom after the filtering operation being bent back into place and secured. The cover 52 is provided with a bail or handle 62 and is also provided with suitable fasteners 64 which serve to secure it in airtight condition upon the upper end of the inner casing 12. Extending from the chamber 58 is an air outlet pipe 66 which may be connected with the air inlet of the carbureter of an internal combustion engine or with any other suitable suction device. The modified form of cage shown in Fig. 4 consists of wire mesh sections 50 and 54 secured as previously described to a ring 44 which extends around a perforated cup member 46 which, in case, extends all the way up to and is secured to a cover 52' which has la" central depression 68 above which the bail 62 is located. In this form of the device, no fil ering material is placed within the perforated cup but the latter is surrounded by the filtering material. The portion of this filtering material which is below the separator ring 44 maybe. insert ed through the bottom 56 of the wire mesh caused to. pass cage in the manner previously described.

while the portion of the filtering material above this ring may be inserted before the cover and the upper end of the wire mesh section 50 are secured together.

The operation and advantages of my air cleaner will be readily understood from the foregoing description. The air to be cleaned which enters through the tangential opening is caused to rotate as it enters the outer casing 10 and this rotary motion is augmented by the air passing down through the slits produced by the downwardly inclined projections 30. The dust and dirt which enter with the air are caused to be thrown outwardly in the casing by centrifugal action and most or this material gravitates down the inclined wall 14 into the-collecting receptacle 16 where it is retained. The air thus freed from most of the dust and dirt passes upwardly through the opening in the annular member 36 into the chamber 60 from which it passes through the wire mesh section 54, the perforated cup 46 and the interposed filtering material and into the filtering material which is in and above the cup and then in outward direction through the wii e mesh section 50 on its way to the outlet pipe 66. The air is inwardly through the portion of the filtering material which is below the separator ring 44 and outwardly throhgh the portion of the filtering material which is above this ring, and during its passage the small amount of dust which has not been removed by gravity separation is completely removed. It will be noted that since the air enters the filtering material so as to pas s4 I in a radial direction toward the center from the periphery, the tendency is to condenseand cause any particles of dust to be crowded closer together, and in this manner they are more readily trapped and retained. In the course of time, when the amount of dustretained by the filtering material becomes sufiicient to ofi'er objectionable restriction to the flow of air, the cage with its en closed filtering material may be readily removed from the casing for cleaning, and may then be replaced. The filtering operation in connection with the form of invention shown in Fig. 4 is substantially the same as the operation described, the difference being that the air does not pass through any filtering material while in the perforated cup member.

T claim:

1. An air cleaner comprising a casing 7 having provision for admitting air thereto, means for causing gravity separation oi dir ihom the admitted air, air outlet means associated with said casing, a mass filtering material between said gravity separation means and said outlet means, and for causing air to pass radially inward into said casing,

mass of filtering material and ward therefrom.

2. An air cleaner comprising an inner casing, an outer casing concentric therewith, said outer casing having provision for admitting air into the annular space he radially outtWeen the two casings, means for causing gravity separatlon of dirt from the air passing through said annular space, air outlet means connected with the upper end of said inner casing, a mass of filtering material in said inner casing, and means for causing air to pass radially inward into said mass of ltering material, and radially outward therefrom before reaching said outlet means.

3. An air cleaner comprising an inner casing, an outer casing concentric therewith, said outer casing having provision for admitting air into the annular space between the two casings, means for causing gravity separation of dirt from the air passing through said annular space, air outlet means connected with theupper end of said inner casing, a mass of filtering material in said casing, and a separator member associated with said filtering material which causes air to pass radially inward into said mass of ltering material, and radially outward therefrom before reaching said outlet means.

4. An air cleaner comprising an inner with, said outer casing having provision for admitting air into the annular space between the two casings, means for causing gravity separation of the dirt from the air passing through said annular space, air outlet means connected with the upper endof said inner casing, a wire mesh cage within said inner casing, a mass of filtering material in said cage, and means for causing air to pass in one direction into said mass of filtering material, and in another direction therefrom before reaching said outlet means.

5. An air cleaner comprising an inner casing, an outer casing concentric therewith, said outer casing having provision for admitting air into the agmular space between the two casings, means for causing gravity separation of dirt from the air passing an outer casing concentric there through said annular space, air outlet means connected with the upper end of said inner casing, a. wire mesh cage concentrically spaced within said inner casing, a mass of filtering material in said cage, and a separator ring imbedded in the peripheral portion of said filtering material for causing air to pass in one dlrection into said filter ing material, and in another direction therefrom before reaching said outlet means.

6. An air cleaner comprising an inner casing, an outer casing concentric therewith, said outer casing having provision for admitting air into the annular space between the two casings, means for causing gravity separation of dirt from the air passing through said annular space, air outlet means connected with the upper end of said inner casing, a wire mesh cage concentrically spaced within said inner casing, a mass of filtering material in said cage, a perforated cup member spaced concentrically within the periphery of said filtering material, and a separator ring extending from said cup member to the'periphery of said filtering material for causing air to pass in one direction into said filtering material, and in another direction therefrom before reaching said outlet means.

7. An air cleaner comprising an inner casing, an outer casing concentric therewith, said outer casing having provision for admitting air into the annular space between the two casings, means for causing gravity separation of dirt from the air passing through said annular space, air outlet means connected with the upper end of said inner casing, a mass of filtering material in said inner casing, a perforated cup member within said filtering material and a separator ring extending from said cup member to the periphery of said filtering material for causing air to pass in one direction into the filtering material and in another direction therefrom before reaching said outlet means.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

\ ASHLEY '0. BEN 

